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  • Brett Lawrie hits umpire with line drive totally by accident (VIDEO)

    Brett Lawrie of the Toronto Blue Jays is having the worst luck in the world hitting umpires with baseball equipment.

    In his second game back from a suspension for a tantrum that resulted in an umpire getting hit with Lawrie's batting helmet after an angry bounce, Lawrie lined a pitch foul that struck first base umpire Andy Fletcher in the left arm during the fourth inning.

    Fletcher briefly left the game for treatment but was back by the fifth. The Tampa Bay Rays won the game 8-5.

    While the incident a week ago created much conjecture about how much responsibility Lawrie should take for his helmet hitting ump Bill Miller in the hip after Miller made two bad calls to incur Lawrie's rage, this one is just an odd coincidence. Lawrie had no beef with Fletcher. And even if he did, it's hard to imagine even a major leaguer having that kind of aim. (Joe West probably would have accused Lawrie of doing it on purpose. Good thing he was umping another base.)

    ''It seemed like the further he moved, the more the ball chased him,'' Lawrie said. ''Just a bit of bad luck that it hit him.''

    Just a bit. What's funny, or probably not funny if you're Lawrie, is that he had another dispute with a different umpire in the eighth.

    [MLB Full Count: Watch live look-ins and highlights for free all season long]

    Rob Drake ruled Lawrie was out as part of a double play, saying Lawrie's momentum on a slide carried him past second base, and that Lawrie did not tag second on his way back to first on a fly to center by Yan Gomes. Uncertain of what was going on, Lawrie ran up to Drake to inquire. Lawrie got animated, but he kept his helmet on this time. He also was escorted away quickly by coach Torey Lovullo.

    ''All I wanted to know was what was going on,'' Lawrie said. ''I didn't know what happened. For me, I didn't go to third base. I slid in, popped up and went back (to first). If I'm getting called out for something, I'm just wondering why I'm getting called out. I just didn't get an answer tonight.''

    Regardless: Is that a No. 13, or a target on Lawrie's back?

    The video evidence does not seem to support Drake's call, but he might have been fooled by the shuffling of Lawrie's feet around the bag. It looked indecisive and made him appear to have not re-touched the bag. But if he doesn't take a step past the bag, which he didn't, he doesn't have to re-touch. It was the wrong call, but an explainable mistake. That's not how every observer sees it, though. The Brady and Lang duo on 590-AM The Fan out of Toronto said the ump was right and Lawrie was wrong, and that the Jays need to do something to check Lawrie's emotions. "This is not a one-time incident. It's a trend."

    Lawrie retorted on Twitter (not really the best place to do it, but ... ):

    For all u people who think I was goin at that umpire tonight ?That is totally false.. I just wanted to know Wat the call was so chill out...

    And at the radio station specifically, Lawrie said:

    So, yeah! But Lawrie, telling other people to chill out? How ironic, Alanis. He hasn't given himself any margin for error after the Miller helmet toss. He got the benefit of a doubt and a light suspension. But the umps are going to be watching. However, as long as he keeps his helmet attached, the Jays shouldn't discourage Lawrie too much from being emotional. We might want robot umpires, but not robot players.

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  • The Juice: Andy Pettitte dominates in first win since 2010, Papelbon closes door on Red Sox

    The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday (and now on Saturdays) for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

    Andy is dandy: Andy Pettitte felt he was a little too "uptight" while taking the loss in his return start last Sunday afternoon. On Friday night, the 39-year-old left-hander looked nothing of the sort, allowing the Cincinnati Reds only four hits and striking out nine over eight scoreless innings in the Yankees 4-0 victory.

    It was the first time Pettitte had tossed eight scoreless innings since July 8, 2008, and the victory attached to this marvelous outing was his first since July 8, 2010. Love that symmetry.

    ''I felt like I could do this, and now it's just like I feel like the mind's getting back there,'' a beaming Pettitte said after his 241st win. ''I'm just hoping and praying the body holds up.''

    I'm sure Yankees fans are doing the same, all the while wondering what might have been had Pettitte returned in 2011.

    Just another save: Or at least that's how Jonathan Papelbon played it off after his scoreless ninth preserved a 6-4 victory for Cole Hamels and Phillies over his former employer, the Boston Red Sox.

    His real motivation? Simple.

    'I want to go out there and try to preserve all the wins I can for my starters,'' Papelbon said. ''I think for me I take a little extra pride in that. That's basically kind of what it boiled down to for me.''

    Papelbon earned saves 219 over his six seasons in Boston. His twelve this season lead the National League.

    Niese cries uncle: Well, actually, Mets skipper Terry Collins waved the white flag for Jonathan Niese after the left-hander surrendered four of the Blue Jays five home runs en route to New York's ugly 14-5 loss.

    J.P. Arencibia did the bulk of the damage against Niese, connecting on a three-run blast in the first and a solo shot in the third. He later added a two-run single to give him a career-high six RBIs. Rajai Davis also hit a pair of homers, while Brazilian outfielder Yan Gomes rounded out Toronto's barrage with the first round-tripper of his career.

    Kid K's grand finale: We knew Kerry Wood knew how to make an entrance after striking out 20 Houston Astros in only his fifth major league start back on May 6, 1998. Fourteen years later, Wood answered the call one last time and showed us he could make an equally thrilling exit, striking out Dayan Viciedo on three pitches to record the 1,582nd and final strikeout of his career.

    Viciedo was the only batter Wood faced in the Cubs 3-2 loss to the crosstown rival White Sox. After getting his man, Wood walked slowly off the mound to a rousing standing ovation and was soon greeted by his son Justin, whom he promptly hoisted in the air for an emotional embrace at the top step of the Cubs dugout.

    * * *

    Quote of the Day: ''Carlos has been there for me. I heard all the stories, but what is past is past. I met him in spring training and all I know is a good teammate and a good guy.'' — Marlins closer Heath Bell after picking up the save for Carlos Zambrano in Miami's 3-2 win over the Indians. Prior to Friday's save, Bell had blown his first two opportunities in relief of Big Z.

    * * *

    Photo of the Day: Headlocks are the new helmet slaps.

    Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon grabs a headlock on teammate A.J. Ellis after Ellis' ninth inning bases loaded walk clinched a 6-5 win over the Cardinals. It almost makes you wonder how Gordon handles losses. Perhaps he breaks out the slightly more uncomfortable abdominal stretch or even the crossface chicken wing under those circumstances.

    * * *

    Three Facts for the Water Cooler:

    • The Orioles improved to 6-2 in extra inning games with a 2-1 victory over the Nationals. All six of those wins have come on the road.

    • With their 7-2 win over the Padres, the Los Angeles Angels improved their interleague record to 63-28 since 2007. That's tops in baseball. Meanwhile, the Padres still hold the second worst overall interleague record at 103-137.

    • The Texas Rangers became the first team in major league history to open their schedule with 14 different opponents in their first 14 series. Or maybe we should call them victims, as the Rangers cruised past Houston, 4-1.

    * * *

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